1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a process unit formed of, for example, a unit for forming an image can be exchanged for another.
2. Description of the Related Art
A process unit known from, for example, Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. P2001-222204A is exchangeable and can be divided into a photosensitive unit and a developing unit. Further, a used process unit can be discriminated from an unused one. While the process unit can be divided into a photosensitive unit and a developing unit, only one counter is employed for counting the number of printed sheets. In this image forming apparatus, if the exchange of one of the units or one component incorporated therein is detected, the counter is reset.
To enable a component such as a photosensitive unit or developing unit to exhibit its best performance, the conditions set for the component are varied in accordance with the amount of use of the component. More specifically, if one of the two units is exchanged as in the case of the aforementioned process units, and the counter is reset, the conditions for both a newly installed unit and the remaining unit are determined on the basis of the reset counter. For example, when the counter has been reset upon the exchange of the photosensitive unit, new conditions based on the reset counter are not optimal for the remaining developing unit, which makes it impossible to execute printing in a best state.